I have to go to AZ regularly for a few reasons and it’s a weird place, man.
Central Phoenix ain’t too bad, there seems to be more normal people there - and good food - but outside of that and Sedona… Man. Flagstaff is pretty nice, too.
I saw a young man the other day with this on the back of his t-shirt -
“This is America. We love guns, eat meat, support our troops, speak English and believe in God. If you don’t like this LEAVE!”

I never understand the “speak English” angle. Well I guess I do, but they absolutely have no ground to stand on as the States has no official language. As a Canadian I often get poked and teased that we have two official languages and the laws around that, french labeling on products for instance. But I guess there is no sense in trying to rationalize with xenophobes.

Someone should print up t-shirts that say, “This is America. I do not love guns, don’t eat meat, support peace, speak whatever language I feel like and don’t believe in God. If you don’t like this LEAVE!”

“She understands what Arizona students and parents need in our education system,” Biggs said in a prepared statement. “She is a very experienced legislator and I know she will do a wonderful job.”

Well there’s your first problem right there. It’s rare to find a legislator, experienced or otherwise, who knows anything about what students and parents need in an education system. There are a lot of experienced “educators” I’ve been around who don’t even know what students need at their own educational institutions. Why would anyone think an anti-science politician would know any better?

Oh, we’re talking about Arizona - home of Joe Arpaio, SB 1070, and “the best state for gun owners?” Never mind, I retract my question.

It’s fucking stupid. I’ve travelled pretty extensively “abroad” - more than the average American for sure - and in every single country people speak English to us happily though it’s not their primary language. I hear multiple languages at hotel front desks and restaurants. Signs in multiple languages. And I understand all the fundamental reasons behind all that - not the least of which, finding a common language to speak. We were in a restaurant in Prague one time and this big table of people were there for a business dinner and I heard 5 languages. But commonly, they spoke to the group in English. Makes sense.
But in other countries, people aren’t total dickbags about having to use something else to communicate. Or hearing it.
I don’t get the feeling there are a lot of assholes with Facebook memes like we have here - “This is America, why do I have to press ONE for English??” Fuck off.

Well I shouldn’t be so hard on Americans. We get the “This isn’t Quebec, why do you have to press ONE for English?!?!” people in Canada too.

I just can’t get around the irony of people arguing you have to use a specific language in a country that does not have an official language. Especially when it’s a group of people that continually go back to what the Constitution has to say about everything. “But but but but the constitution guarantees me the right to bear arms!!!” However when it comes to language and religion they conveniently forget that the Constitution doesn’t define an official language (and just cause it’s written in English doesn’t mean it’s implied), and they conveniently assume that freedom of religion means freedom of Christianity and nothing else.

That said we have our fair share of bigoted, xenophobic, racist, anti-intellectual hate mongers in our country too.